


Ocean Song

by citizen_zero



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Beaches, Day At The Beach, Whales, shinganshina trio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-15
Updated: 2015-01-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 15:03:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3176563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/citizen_zero/pseuds/citizen_zero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the days after the walls finally came down, the three of them made a point of visiting the beach whenever they could.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ocean Song

In the summertime, when it was especially hot, the three of them spent their days off down by the water.

Today was no exception; after four summers of being stationed on the coast, their summer leisurely activity had developed into a kind of ritual. They no longer needed to discuss or plan their trips—Armin simply went down to the kitchens to ask for their lunch rations for the next day, while Eren and Mikasa folded blankets and towels and a mesh bag for seashells into the basket they’d pooled their money to buy the first year they’d lived there.

At first daylight, they left the barracks and trekked quietly through the town’s sleepy streets, while the slowly-rising sun warmed the salty air and began painting the sky orange and gold. 

—

In another few hours, the sand would be scorching, but right now, it was cool and pleasantly damp between Armin’s toes. He burrowed his feet in deeper, a slight chill running up his spine as an ocean breeze passed. Moving carefully so that he wouldn’t disturb Mikasa or Eren, whose heads were resting in his lap as they dozed, he reached into the basket for two of the three smaller blankets they’d brought with them and draped them across his friends.

When the sun was at its highest, the day could get unbearably hot—the town and its military outpost were much further south than any human from within the walls had ever been. The first summer had seen numerous soldiers collapse from heat exhaustion, despite careful planning and modifications to the uniform to accommodate the higher temperatures (fortunately, this medical emergency had also been planned for).

But for now, the sun was still just a distant light on the water, and the morning was cool. Armin tucked the blankets around Eren and Mikasa’s shoulders, and then leaned back on his palms to watch the sunrise. 

Between the whistling of the wind and the whisper of the waves, there came a distant, eerie crooning.

For a moment, Armin thought he might have imagined it, until a second croon drifted across the water like a response. Another followed it, and then two, and then too many to properly count. Some bore a nasally quality; others reminded him of puppies crying for their mothers. Still others were reminiscent of flute music. 

He smiled as he slowly began to recognize what he was hearing. He’d only heard it once before, on an expedition far north, but even if he lived to be a hundred, it wasn’t a sound he’d be able to easily forget.

"Mikasa, Eren," he called softly, nudging them gently but urgently. "Wake up."

Eren took a little more prodding before he rolled over onto his back, blinking the sleep away; Mikasa simply turned her head to look up at him quizzically through half-lidded eyes.

"Listen," he breathed, nodding toward the water.

Still mired in sleep, it took them several seconds to register what they were hearing.

Sitting up and scanning the horizon with a hopeful gleam in her eyes, Mikasa said, “I know that sound. Didn’t we hear it when we went north?” 

Armin nodded, smiling, and gave a startled yelp when Eren shot up onto his knees, totally alert and grinning wildly and waving his arm as though to shush them. 

They sat in silence once more, listening as the wind carried the strange squeaks and notes across the waves.

"Armin, what were they called again?" Eren asked after several minutes, eyes still glued to the ocean.

"Whales," Armin answered, closing his eyes to let their songs wash over him.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for a prompt I got on Tumblr, and I figured I'd post it as my first AO3 fic. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to write for it--the song Lighthouse by The Hush Sound gave me the inspiration. 
> 
> This is the first fic I've written for SNK, as well as the first fic I've written in about seven years, so I'm a bit out of practice and I'd appreciate any critique.
> 
> I also apologize for liberties taken regarding the habitats and mating practices of whales.


End file.
